Going Home
by Sealure
Summary: AU What if Isaac had felt Scott die in season five? What would he have done?


**Hey!**

 **Obviously, this isn't a full re-write of season six. It's just regathering the Pack.**

 **SPOILERS: season three part two and both parts of season five**

 **WARNINGS: Um, none, I think. Just a lot of feels.**

 **So, this is a really fun what if that I read somewhere. What if Isaac felt it when Scott died? Well, Isaac being Isaac, I think he would have been TICKED OFF by the other Betas abandoning Scott. Now, don't get me wrong, I completely understand why they did it, and I'm not bashing anyone here. I just think, that from Isaac's perspective, no argument, no grievance is more important than family.**

 **So here we go! Hope you like it!  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf**

Going Home

Isaac glared at the map in front of him. Entire sectors of the city had been crossed out, but now he was wondering if he'd missed something. This blasted Omega was proving to be horrendously difficult to catch. Isaac had been after it for nearly two months now, and Giselle was getting impatient. This was the longest Isaac had ever taken on a job.

Giselle was the leader of the Rousseau family, the hunter clan Isaac was working with. Chris Argent had introduced Isaac to them, all the while keeping his hand on the Beretta holstered at the small of his back. Isaac had answered all of their questions honestly, and shown them that his eyes were still metallic gold, not the icy blue of one who had taken innocent lives. Giselle had agreed to put him on trial, and Chris had volunteered to be his handler. Giselle accepted, and the summer wasn't even half over before the Rousseau elders were hanging "silver" dog tags (the metal was actually nickel) engraved with their symbol, a beautiful weeping willow, around his neck.

That had been a year ago. Several months ago, Chris Argent had gotten a message from Scott asking for help. He'd asked Isaac if it was alright for him to go back. Isaac immediately said yes, it was fine, he'd be fine. He still missed the comforting presence of the Argent, but Isaac was a well-respected hunter now. Chris asked him if he wanted to go with, but…..

Isaac had a reputation as the finest tracker the clan had ever seen. He didn't even use his wolf abilities unless he absolutely had to. He just had a knack for it. He was very skilled with Chinese Ring Daggers, which both he and Chris found hilariously ironic. He was an excellent shot with just about everything, though he always felt a bit nostalgic when he used bows or crossbows. Isaac had his own hunter contacts, and his reputation had spread through the States, most of Europe, Mexico, and a fair piece of South America. The Hunting Wolf, they called him. A bit unoriginal, but far be it from him to complain. It fit. To him, it represented the change Allison had given her life for—the savage wolf and the unwavering hunter putting aside their differences to protect the innocent and defenseless.

Isaac had decided to stay with the Rousseau clan in France.

He'd been hunting with them for a little over a year now, and while he felt safe and liked, he didn't quite get the same sense of _wanted_ and _loved_ that he'd always gotten from Melissa and Scott McCall. But after he got Allison killed, he just cracked. He'd lost so many people already, and having another loved one's death on his head…

Isaac shook his head, sending those thoughts back to the dark corner they belonged in. He wasn't in France just for fun. He was in France to hide. It was the coward's way out, but then Dad always had said he was one. Guess this proved him right. Isaac just couldn't handle Beacon Hills anymore. He'd lost everyone there. And surely Scott didn't want to be anywhere near him now, since Isaac had gotten the girl he loved killed.

His cell phone rang, and Isaac let out a short sigh of frustration with himself. He hadn't been sleeping a whole lot, trying to nail this Omega down before it killed someone else, and the lack of rest was catching up to him, making his mind wander. He tapped the screen.

"Lahey," he said shortly, holding the phone between his shoulder and jaw so he could keep working on the map.

"Anything?" Giselle said.

Isaac sighed. "Not yet. I think I found where I screwed up, though."

"Where?"

"Sens," he answered, naming the city he'd been in last. "I think it saw me by the river."

"Ah. That's going to make it a bit harder."

"Yes, but it still doesn't know what I am. I still have the advantage, so if I'm careful, I should be able to— _GAHH!"_

Isaac's body doubled up and collapsed as _painpainPAIN_ slammed into his chest. It felt like his lungs were being crushed and his heart was being ripped out. Isaac let out a long, high-pitched keen of anguish. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe, couldn't see, couldn't hear. He couldn't focus on anything other than the all-encompassing _agony_ consuming his body. He was absolutely sure he was dying.

As suddenly as it had come, the pain vanished as a roar echoed in Isaac's ears. He gasped, feeling his eyes burn gold in response. That was his Alpha. His Alpha was calling him. The Pack was being summoned. But there was something wrong.

The call carried so much _loneliness_ and _sorrow_ in it. There was physical pain, too, but the emotional torment almost drowned it out. Now that he was focusing on it, Isaac could still feel the pain in his chest. It was just dulled. Then the roar cut off. Something _snapped_ in his mind. And Isaac heard someone screaming, but he wasn't sure who because he felt like he was dying again. _Agony_ flooded every nerve in his body. Whoever it was screamed louder, and he realized it was him. He was screaming. He dimly realized someone else was screaming, too. They were screaming his name.

" _Isaac_! Blast it, _garcon_ , answer me! Isaac! If you've gone and gotten yourself killed, I am _not_ explaining this to Argent! Come on, kid! _Isaac_!"

' _Giselle,'_ he thought groggily. _'She sounds worried.'_

"I'm-I'm alright," he croaked. He coughed, pushing himself into a sitting position— _'when did I get on the floor?'_ —with a wince.

"Isaac?!" the relief in her voice was palpable. "That is _not_ alright, you little _bete!_ You were screaming. I thought you were dying!"

"Not me," he said, still sounding hoarse. Then his eyes widened. "Not me," he said again, but this time urgently. "Giselle, it's my Alpha. He's-He's-he's—there's something wrong, and I-I don't—I can't—I have to get home."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, then the French matriarch sighed. "That's what makes you so good at what you do, kid," she said. "You're just so loyal." She sighed again. "Alright, go. But I expect weekly check-ins. And I expect to see you back in France eventually. You're leaving in the middle of a hunt—you owe me one."

"Thank you," Isaac rasped. He shot to his feet and started shoving his things in a duffle. "Thank you so much."

"Don't bother," she grumbled. "Taking my best tracker—figures. Anyway, there's an airfield about twenty miles west of you. I've got some people there. Show them your tags, tell them where you need to go, and you'll be there by tomorrow. And Isaac…"

"Yes?"

"Good luck, kid."

Isaac felt his eyes start stinging. They were hunters. Dying was an occupational hazard, and they never knew which time was the last time they'd see each other. So they never said goodbye. They said good luck, or see you next time. It was how they did things. He'd never told Scott good luck.

"You, too," he said gently.

She snorted, but Isaac could tell she was touched. "Get out of there, you mangy mutt," she snapped. "If you're still in my country come morning, I will personally kick your tail back to California myself."

Isaac let out a choked laugh. "Yes, ma'am!" he said, and saluted, even though she couldn't see it.

"Hmph," she said, and hung up.

Isaac slung his duffel over his shoulder and stared at his phone for a minute longer. Giselle had been good to him. She'd dragged him out of his shell and forced him to start living again. She'd cared for him in a different way than Melissa. Melissa was gentle. Firm, but always gentle. Giselle pushed him, hard. She pushed him to be the best he could be, but she was never cruel. She was never harsh. Isaac always knew that she cared. He would miss his French family, but Scott had just died. His Alpha was dead, and Beacon Hills was calling again.

He walked out the door and didn't look back.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Isaac squinted in the bright sunlight as he stepped off the plane. He swallowed hard and winced slightly. The pain in his chest was still there, but he knew it wasn't going away any time soon. Because his Alpha was dead.

 _What if I could have prevented it? What if he died because I wasn't here to watch his back? What if this one's on me, too?_

Isaac grit his teeth, feeling tears spring to his eyes. He refused to let them fall.

He took a deep breath, then let it out. Calm down. Accept reality. Compartmentalize. You've got a job to do. Do it.

His job was simple. Find out what killed his Alpha, hunt it down and rip it apart.

Then he'd find Melissa, and then he knew he'd cry.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was after 12 o'clock by the time Isaac made it to Beacon Hills General Hospital. He dithered by the doors for a while, clinging to the childish hope that if he didn't go in and see it, it wouldn't be real. Maybe he would wake up, and this whole thing would just be a nightmare.

' _Giselle taught you better than this,'_ he thought to himself. _'Pull yourself together and just go. Calm down. Accept reality. Compartmentalize. You've got a job to do. Do it.'_

Isaac never was very good at compartmentalizing. He opened the doors anyway. He didn't bother talking to the receptionist, just started scenting for Stiles and/or Melissa. He got Stiles on the third floor, along with Melissa and—oh, no.

Melissa must have had something of Scott's with her. He could smell his Alpha. Isaac leaned against the wall of the elevator and _willed_ himself not to fall apart. He repeated Giselle's mantra:

 _Calm down. Accept reality. Compartmentalize. You've got a job to do. Do it._

The doors opened, and he stepped slowly towards the scents. They were all in a room halfway down the hall. He was dragging his feet when a different voice caught his ear.

"Stiles, I'm sorry—"

But Isaac didn't hear anything else because _that was his Alpha's voice!_

His eyes widened, and then he was running. He shot down the hall as fast as he could, bursting into the room without bothering to knock, eyes desperately searching for the one he had thought dead ten minutes ago.

There he was: Scott, totally fine, standing protectively in front of Melissa, Stiles and Sherriff Stilinski, fangs out and eyes glowing.

Scott shifted back and stared at him, utterly baffled. "Isaac?!" he said, incredulously. "I thought you were in _France_! What are you doing back here?"

"How—what—you—"Isaac stammered, tears filling his eyes. His whole body started trembling.

Scott's brows furrowed in concern. "Hey, you ok, man?" he asked gently. "You look like you're about to pass out. What's going—"

Isaac shot forwards, grabbing his Alpha's shoulders and thoroughly examining him, ignoring the tears that were now streaming down his face. "How are you alive?!" he demanded, shaking Scott's shoulders lightly. "How are you alive?! I felt—"Isaac turned away, clapping a hand over his mouth and trying not to be sick.

"Isaac?!" Scott gently grabbed Isaac and spun him back around. The Alpha looked very worried now. "Isaac, what's wrong?"

Isaac stared at him, arms wrapped tight around himself. "I felt you die," he choked.

Scott's mouth dropped open, and Stiles blanched. "Woah," the Sherriff's son said. "Slow down and back up. What do you mean, "die"?"

Isaac didn't look away from Scott. "I felt you die," he said again, and he felt himself start shaking harder.

"Isaac…." Scott reached out and gripped the sides of Isaac's face. "I'm here," he said, not letting his little brother figure look away. "I'm right here, and I'll heal."

"You don't just "heal" from being _dead,_ Scott!" Isaac shouted, jerking away. "When people die, they _don't come back. Ever._ They leave, they're _gone_ , and that's _it_. How are you—"his voice broke, and he quickly buried his face in his hands, fighting to regain control.

Strong arms wrapped around him, and his head was pressed securely into his Alpha's shoulder. "Mom brought me back," Scott said softly. "But I'm alright, Isaac. I promise."

"You're lying," Isaac muttered, even as his trembling hands tightened to fists in the back of Scott's hoodie. "I'm a wolf, too, you idiot. I can smell your pain."

Scott paused, and Isaac could smell his surprise at being called out. "Maybe I'm not completely alright," he amended. "But I will be."

Isaac snorted, pushing away and rising to his full height. "You are such a martyr, McCall," he muttered, even as a shaky smirk pulled up one corner of his mouth. He rested his hands on Scott's shoulders and started pulling out the pain he knew the stubborn Alpha would never admit to feeling.

His veins turned black, and Isaac clenched his jaw at the sheer intensity of it.

"Isaac, don't—"Scott started.

Isaac glared. "I have not been able to breathe properly for the last 13 hours," he growled, "and it's annoying me. If you don't mind, I'd like to go ten minutes without feeling like my Alpha's going to pass out from pain and blood loss. Now shut up."

Scott shut up.

Isaac pulled out as much as he could, then _assisted_ Scott to the armchair. (Read: Used the hold on his shoulders to drag him to the chair, physically shove him into it and then snarl at him when he tried to get up.)

He released the Alpha and straightened, but staggered a little bit.

Melissa shot forwards, grabbing hold of Isaac and dragging him down into her arms. "Oh, Isaac, honey," she said, and Isaac realized she was crying. "It is so good to see you. I have missed you so much."

Isaac bit his lip in an attempt to keep his own emotions under control, but when Melissa ran a hand through his curls, he buried his face in her shoulder and broke down. "I've m-missed you t-too, M-Melissa," he choked.

She squeezed him extra tight, then let go just enough to steer him to another chair in the room. "Now, what do you mean you felt Scott die?" she asked gently.

"Yeah," Stiles said, from where he was being surprisingly quiet over on his dad's bed. "What _do_ you mean about _Scott dying?!"_

Isaac stared at him. "You don't know?" he asked.

Stiles ground his jaw. "Would I be asking if I knew?" he got out.

Isaac swallowed and wiped at his face. "I, um, I was on a hunt in Auxerre—a city about 90 miles southwest of Paris—I was after this Omega. Man," he shook his head. "That was one stubborn dog. It did _not_ want to be caught."

"Anyway?" Stiles prompted, looking impatient.

Isaac wet his lips and stared at the floor. "I was giving my boss a report when I—"he closed his eyes, then spoke very carefully. "It felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest. My boss said I was screaming. I don't—I don't know. It's all kind of a blur. But I knew it wasn't my pain." He looked at Scott. "I knew it was yours. And then I—I felt your heart stop. It just—"Isaac made a slicing gesture with one hand. "—cut off. Gone. You weren't there anymore. You were—"his voice cracked. "You were dead." Isaac dropped his head into his hands. Melissa sat beside him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.

After a moment, he continued. "I told my boss I had to get home," he said softly. "She made some calls, and I was on a plane within the hour."

"Holy crap," Scott said. "Dude, I am so sorry. I had no idea it would affect you that much."

"You're still my Alpha," Isaac pointed out. "You didn't bite me, but I chose to give you my loyalty. I'm still a part of your pack." Then he hesitated. "That is, if you still want me," he added, barely loud enough to hear.

"Um, why wouldn't I want you in my pack?" Scott looked bewildered.

"Because I—"Isaac curled in on himself. "I got Allison killed."

Scott's eyes grew kind and understanding. "Isaac," he said softly.

Isaac wouldn't look at him.

"Isaac, look at me."

The Beta looked at Scott's feet.

The Alpha laughed quietly. "My face is up here."

Biting his lip, the younger boy forced his gaze to meet his Alpha's.

Scott forced them to bleed red, and found that it wasn't half as hard as it had been earlier that evening. Isaac's metallic gold flashed in response, and Scott locked eyes with him as he said, "I never have and never will blame you for Allison's death. Did it hurt? Yes. Will it continue to hurt? Probably for the rest of our lives. Do we miss her? Every day. But do I regret that she saved the life of my brother?"

Isaac's eyes widened.

Scott smiled. "Not even a little bit. I've missed you too, Isaac. And if you'll stay, I'd love it if you'd be an official member of the pack again."

The tension leaked out of the younger boy's slender frame. "Try to keep me out," he said softly, joy and gratitude shining in his eyes.

Scott started to say something else when Isaac interrupted him. "So, Stiles," he said casually.

"Yeah?"

"I don't suppose you'd happen to know what actually happened to our idiot of an Alpha, would you?"

"Yeah, I—ah, no," Stiles shifted awkwardly. "No, I actually don't."

Isaac turned to Melissa.

She pressed her lips together, then gave Isaac a rundown of the last few months: Kate, the Berserkers, the Caliveras, Dread Doctors ("Are we seriously calling them that?!" "Yes, we are, shut up."), the Desert Wolf, Chimeras, Theo, Kira's battle with the fox, and Hayden's death. Then she faltered, and looked at Scott.

He sighed, then quietly summarized his battle with Liam, then Theo's attempted murder.

"I got there fifteen minutes later," Melissa said shakily. It was Isaac's turn to wrap an arm around her shoulders in comfort. She leaned into him trustfully. "There was blood everywhere. Mason looked absolutely traumatized. He said there was no way Scott could come back, Alpha or not. I said—"Melissa huffed a little laugh. "I said that Scott's not any old Alpha. I said, "He's a True Alpha, and he is too strong to die like this!" Then I told him to roar, and he did."

"That's what I heard," Isaac said. He looked at Scott. "When you roared. I heard you. That's what called me back."

Stiles shook his head, blinking hard. "Scottie…." He whispered, guilt and horror warring for dominance on his face.

Scott pulled himself to his feet—ignoring Melissa's glare and Isaac's low growl—and held out his arms to his oldest friend. Stiles quickly walked over and grabbed onto him. They just supported each other for a minute then they let go. Scott slapped Stiles' shoulder, and Stiles clapped a hand on Scott's, and they were back to normal.

"We good?" Scott asked gently.

Stiles blinked. "We weren't before?"

Isaac and Melissa exchanged fondly exasperated looks as Scott laughed. Then Scott glanced down at his chest and got a weird look on his face.

"It doesn't hurt as much anymore," he said, giving Stiles a confused look.

"That's because you're not alone anymore," Isaac said softly. "When I hunt alone, my injuries take longer to heal. When I'm hunting with others—a pack, one might say—I heal faster. You're pack is putting itself back together, and as a result, your injuries are healing."

Stiles threw his hands up in the air. "You wolves are so _weird_!"

"If you think just hanging out with wolves is weird—"Scott started.

"—try being one," Isaac deadpanned.

Stiles shook his head frantically. "No, thanks!"

The others laughed softly.

Stiles looked at Isaac. "You heard him all the way from France?"

"He's my Alpha," Isaac said, like that explained everything. "He called me."

"So you just pulled up your roots and flew halfway across the world?"

"He's my Alpha," Isaac repeated. "And he's my brother. He and Melissa are the only family I have left. So, yeah, I came back. I thought Scott was dead. The plan was find out who did it, tear their throat out, then find Melissa and try not to fall apart completely."

Melissa's eyes started shining, and she hugged Isaac again. "You know," she said casually as she let go again. "I don't think that plan's all bad. Scott's _not_ dead, so we can avoid the falling apart bit, but if you'll get me a shotgun, I am all for hunting that son of a Baptist down."

Isaac's mouth curled in one of those razor-sharp smiles that had both Scott and Stiles backing up. "Whenever you're ready," he said, "you let me know. I'll track him, you can pump him full of wolfsbane, and then I'll rip out his heart."

Melissa nodded. "Sounds like a plan. Let's do it."

Scott's eyes widened. "Mom!"

"Yes?"

Her son stared at her for a minute, then just shook his head. "Never mind," he sighed.

"Hey, Scott?" Isaac asked. "Who all is in your pack now?"

"Um, there's Liam, Kira, Malia, Mason, Lydia, Stiles, Mom, Sherriff Stilinski, and Parrish. And you."

Isaac's eyes suddenly blazed gold. "And would you mind explaining to me why I'm the only one who answered your call?"

Scott suddenly found the floor very interesting. "Um, they have their own problems."

Isaac snarled and shot to his feet. "Nothing is more important than the pack," he snapped. " _Nothing._ I don't care what it is, grief, friends, school, anger, _nothing_. If I heard you from another continent, I _know_ they heard you here. _Why aren't they here?"_

Scott looked up, and there was a broken defeat in his eyes. "Parrish found Lydia almost catatonic out in the woods by the Nemeton. They're in the hospital somewhere. Mason's probably at home. He drove me home and stayed with me for a long while. I finally told him to go home and get some sleep, so he'll probably be back when he wakes up. I don't know where Liam is. Malia's probably somewhere getting ready for the Desert Wolf. Kira's somewhere out in the desert with the Skinwalkers. I—"he closed his eyes. After a moment, he pried them back open and looked at his Beta again. "I lost, Isaac. They trusted me, and I let them down."

That didn't sit well with Isaac. " _They_ let _you_ down," he said tightly. "I don't care if they're hiding from murderous long-lost relatives or trying to make it through the loss of someone important. Because A, if Corinne really wanted Malia dead, she'd already _be_ dead. That stuff about the full moon is garbage and she knows it. B, if Liam is struggling with losing someone that he loves, why doesn't he just go and talk to someone else who understands. Like, oh gee, I don't know, _you?!"_

"Wait, you know the Desert Wolf?!" Stiles said, mouth dropping open.

Isaac nodded. "Yeah, we've worked together on a couple of hunts. If she really wanted Malia dead, you'd have already been to her funeral."

Stiles stared at him. "Scottie, we need to keep this one. This one is helpful."

Isaac rolled his eyes as Scott grinned.

"I don't know," Scott said softly. "There's just so much that's happened lately—"

"—that wouldn't have happened if your pack was standing behind you, where they're supposed to be," Isaac interrupted. His fists clenched. Then he forcefully relaxed himself, letting his eyes fade back to crystal blue. He rubbed his forehead.

"You alright, sweetie?" Melissa asked.

"Yeah, yeah, fine. It's just jet lag. It's a bi—"Melissa glared. "—bit of a pain. It's a bit of a pain." He offered a sheepish smile.

"Better," she said.

Isaac blushed, then turned back to Stiles. "What happened?" he asked, gesturing to the Sherriff.

"Chimera," Stiles said stiffly.

Isaac frowned, stepping over to the Sherriff. He started to put a hand on the Sherriff's arm, then glanced at Stiles for permission. The lanky boy made a 'go ahead' gesture, and Isaac started pulling out the Sherriff's pain. The lines on the man's face smoothed, and his tense body relaxed into a deeper, healing sleep.

"Thanks," Stiles said quietly.

Isaac gave him a tiny grin.

"Alright, I'm going to call it here for tonight," Melissa said. She pointed at Scott. "You are going home right now, going straight to bed, and sleeping for twelve hours. You—"she turned to Isaac "—probably have something supernatural to do that I don't want to know about, so just remember where the spare key is. We haven't done anything with your room, so when you get in, it's all ready for you."

Isaac's mouth dropped open. "W-what?"

Melissa cupped the side of his face. "Isaac, honey, you're a part of _our_ family now," she said. "Of course we kept your room ready for you. We've been waiting for you to come home."

"Oh," Isaac said, feeling that sense of _wanted_ and _loved_ welling up in his chest.

Melissa smiled, then turned to Stiles. "And you, young man, are going to seat yourself in this recliner and _go to sleep._ If I have to sedate you, I will."

Stiles laughed. "I know," he deadpanned, giving her a mock glare. She gave him a real glare in response, and Stiles yelped, "Ok! Ok! I'm going!" and all but ran over to the armchair.

Scott kissed his mom on the cheek and fist bumped Stiles, then headed out the door. Isaac just nodded to Stiles, but Melissa hugged him again. Not that he was complaining. She let go and ruffled his hair. "You be careful, you hear me?" she said sternly.

A beautiful smile lit Isaac's face. "Yes, ma'am," he said, giving her a salute.

"Good. Now get out of here, some people are actually trying to work. Go on. Shoo."

Isaac laughed and jogged out of the room and down the hall till he caught up with Scott.

"You need a ride anywhere?" Scott asked, jingling the car keys.

"Nah," Isaac grinned. "Besides, your mom would _murder_ me if I let you run around at night with a hole in your chest."

Scott groaned. "Are you kidding me? She'd probably just give you a hug, tell you not to worry about it, then ground _me_ for a month. You're totally her favorite."

Isaac blushed and ducked his head.

"You haven't changed," Scott said wonderingly.

Isaac looked up. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No! No, definitely not. It's actually a really good thing. I mean—"Scott ran a hand through his hair. "—everything here is just so crazy now, and you're still the same loyal friend you've always been. It's just really nice to know that there's somebody who's always going to have my back."

"Oh," Isaac said softly.

Scott gripped the back of his neck. "Welcome home, brother," he said.

Isaac smiled and returned the gesture. "It's good to be home," he said, eyes shining.

"Alright," Scott let him go and headed for the car. "Oh yeah, just two rules," he added, spinning around to face Isaac.

"And they are?" Isaac asked, even though he had a pretty good idea.

"No maiming fellow packmates, and no going after bad guys on your own," the Alpha let just a touch of red seep into his eyes, underlining the seriousness of his orders.

"Got it," Isaac said. Then his mouth curved in a decidedly _mischievous_ smile. "Out of idle curiosity, does it still count as maiming when they heal just a few seconds later?"

Scott glared, but Isaac could see that he was trying not to smile. "Yes, it counts."

Isaac snapped his fingers. "Bummer," he said. "I suppose I'll just have to be diplomatic." He made a face, and Scott laughed.

"When do you think you'll get home?" he asked.

Isaac took a second to relish the fact that he _had_ a home again before answering. "I don't know," he said. "It depends on how long it takes me to find them. But if I had to guess, I'd say somewhere around dinnertime tomorrow night."

"Ok." Scott waved. "See you then."

"See you."

Isaac watched Scott pull away with a grin on his face. _'I have my family back,'_ he thought. _'My brother, and my mom. Maybe not by blood, but by choice, and that's got to mean something, right?'_

' _Ok, back to business. Who seems to know where everyone is even when he's not supposed to? Hm. Derek's not here, so that leaves Deaton.'_

Destination in mind, the wolf started running.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The door was locked, but ten seconds later, Isaac was slipping into the office, disarming the human alarm system on his way by. Thank God it had the same code.

He headed to the back, where most of the not-human stuff in here went on. "Deaton?" he called quietly. "You here?"

"Ah. Isaac." The vet stepped through a doorway to his left. "What a pleasant surprise."

Isaac rolled his eyes, but he could feel the smile tugging on his mouth. "Yeah, surprise. I'm sure," he muttered.

Deaton smiled. Then he grew serious. "It was good of you to come, Isaac," he said. "The other members of the pack did not heed the call of the Alpha. I think some of them didn't even hear it at all."

Isaac carefully reigned in his temper, which was threatening to explode. "That is unbelievable," he said, shaking his head. "Even if I _hadn't_ heard him, I felt it." He shuddered at the memory. "It felt like I was dying," he whispered.

Deaton smiled again. "You are a good friend, Isaac," he said. "And a terrific Beta. You were Scott's first Beta. Not his first bitten, obviously, but his first all the same. Out of all of them, human or otherwise, you have shown the most loyalty, the most devotion. Your wolf is very dear to Scott's wolf. You are brothers in all but blood. That bond is not so easily surpassed by physical distance. You will always hear him, and he will always hear you. That's just how it works."

Isaac frowned. "There was another thing kind of like this a couple months ago, but on a lesser scale. It didn't feel like I was dying, just that I was getting weaker. I got nailed by a Wendigo because I just didn't have the strength. I called Argent, asked how everyone was doing. He said they were all fine, so I thought it was just me. I'd gotten a lungful of wolfsbane a week or so before, and I figured it just hadn't worn off yet."

Deaton shook his head. "That was Derek."

Isaac's eyes got huge. "But he's ok, right?!"

"Yes, Isaac, he's fine," Deaton reassured him. "He's just fine. His wolf just—evolved, for lack of a better word. He can now transform at will into a literal wolf. His fur is pure black."

"Just like his mother," murmured the Beta.

For the first time in the boy's memory, Deaton looked surprised. "Why, yes, Talia could transform as well. Derek told you?"

Isaac nodded. "Yeah. But what was with all the exhaustion and weakening?"

"Kate poisoned him," Deaton answered. "But it backfired. Instead of slowly draining the life from him, it drew all his power into one place, where it cocooned itself while it grew. Then it exploded out, and he achieved his elevated form. You are Derek's first bitten Beta. You have a bond with him that none of the others do. You felt his exhaustion and weakness like it was your own." Deaton tilted his head. "You are a very unique wolf, Isaac."

"Why's that?" Isaac looked wary.

"You maintained a strong bond with your first Alpha, even though you gave your loyalty to a different one," the vet explained. "I've only heard of that a few times. They call it _luna fidelis,_ or _loyal moon._ Wolves with this gift are often the cornerstone of their pack—the foundation on which the rest of them depend."

"No pressure," Isaac said, eyes the size of saucers.

Deaton chuckled. "No pressure. It's not as difficult as it sounds. You are unswervingly loyal. You inspire loyalty in others. It's not a conscious effort, it just happens."

"Oh," Isaac said. He seemed to be saying that a lot tonight…

Deaton smiled. "I have every confidence in you, Isaac. Now, what is it you needed? Because as much as I enjoy speaking with you, I'm fairly certain you didn't come here to listen to me prattle away."

Isaac nodded. "I need to know where I can find Malia Tate, Kira Yukimura, and Liam Dunbar."

"Ah," Deaton nodded, pleased. "You're rebuilding the pack."

"Yeah, but I can't guarantee that Liam will be in one piece by the end of tonight," Isaac growled.

Deaton's mouth thinned, the only sign that he was just as angry as Isaac. "That boy is very troubled, Isaac," he said seriously. "He needs to be taught his place in the pack. But he also needs to be shown that the pack will not give up on him because he made a mistake. There is much he needs to learn, but I would bet you that he heard Scott's call and was too afraid to answer it."

"Afraid of what?" Isaac groaned, because he was pretty sure he already knew the answer, and it was going to make him feel sorry for the kid instead of _absolutely furious._

"Afraid that they would send him away," Deaton said softly. "Everywhere else, it's been one strike and you're out for him. But he wanted this. He wanted to be a part of this. Scott promised him a pack that would never leave him, never give up on him. So many people have given up on him in his life. He was afraid to answer the call because he thinks it's happening again."

Isaac sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"Prove him wrong like Derek proved it to you." Deaton wouldn't let him look away. "Remember what that felt like, Isaac. Prove him wrong."

Isaac pursed his lips, but nodded. "I still need to know where to find him," he said.

Deaton raised an eyebrow. "Ever heard of a phonebook?"

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Isaac glared at the hospital sign. "He was four floors below me the whole time," he muttered. "That is just _annoying._ "

He slipped around the building to the staff door in the back, expertly picking the lock with a claw. He prowled through the halls until he caught the scent of fire and death. He wrinkled his nose, but followed it anyway.

He found the kid sitting in the room where, according to Melissa, Hayden had died. Liam was sitting on the floor, staring straight ahead with a look of blank despair on his face.

Isaac sighed. He crouched down in front of the kid and snapped his fingers. Liam jumped, scrambling away from him.

"Kid, chill," Isaac said. "You really need to be more aware of your surroundings." He sat down cross-legged to make himself look less threatening. "What's the point of having enhanced senses if you don't _use_ any of them?"

"Who are you?" Liam demanded. "And how do you know about that?! Are you working for the Doctors?!"

Isaac snorted. "If I was working for the Doctors, they would already have won by now. Theo is an utterly inept _moron._ He's going to be a _dead_ moron very soon, if I can get permission to hunt him. That's gonna be the harder fight to win," he mused. "Not killing Theo—from what I've heard, that'll take ten minutes—but convincing Mr. Morality to let me? Yeah, that's gonna take a while."

Liam stared at him. "Are you one of Argent's people?"

Isaac tilted his head. "In a way. What do you know about Scott McCall's first Beta?"

"His name is Isaac," Liam said, confused. "He went to France with Argent a little over a year ago, and he lives there now. Why do you want to know?" Liam narrowed his eyes. "Are you hunting him?"

Isaac shook his head. "Nah. I'm not really into suicide. Besides, if I did, Melissa would just bring me back so she could kill me herself."

Liam's eyes widened. "Y-You're Isaac Lahey?" he stuttered.

"Yup." Isaac popped the "p."

"But-but you were in _France!_ Why are you here?"

Isaac gave a sharp, predatory smile, and Liam got the sinking feeling that he'd just walked right into a trap. "Because I felt my Alpha die."

Liam turned white as a sheet. "W-What do you mean, die?"

"I mean," Isaac shot to his feet, allowing his eyes to blaze gold, "that I felt my Alpha's heart _stop beating._ He stopped breathing, and he _died._ Because _somebody_ tried to _rip his heart out._ "

Liam rocketed upright. "What?!" he cried. "No! I-I didn't!"

"No, you didn't," Isaac agreed. Liam's shoulders sagged in relief, but Isaac wasn't done. "You just weakened him to the point where he couldn't fight back anymore. Because you, his own Beta, attacked him, you not only injured him physically, you damaged his wolf."

"His—what?"

"The wolf is a part of you, but at the same time, it's separate. You've noticed this." It wasn't really a question, but Liam nodded anyway. "Your betrayal damaged the wolf. It stopped healing him. He _died_ , Liam. Because you accused him of something he would _never_ do, because you believed the word of a stranger over your own Alpha, and because you _left him there,_ injured and alone."

"N-No, I didn't—I wouldn't—"

"Fifteen minutes, Liam. Scott, your Alpha, the one who believed in you, taught you, _saved_ you, had been dead for fifteen minutes by the time help even arrived."

Liam sagged back down to the floor. "But humans can't be revived after—"he turned even paler.

"Seven minutes." Isaac nodded. "Scott was way past that mark. He was bleeding out on the floor, because it takes a while to replenish blood, even for us." He took a deep breath. "Mason was there," he said softly. Liam's head came up, and a sound escaped him. "When Theo showed up, Scott tried to protect Mason, even though he could barely stand. Theo shoved his claws through Scott's chest and straight into his heart."

Liam clapped his hands over his ears and sobbed. Isaac dropped to the floor in front of him and jerked them away. "Theo killed him, and Mason couldn't do anything to save him. He called Melissa, and told her—"

"NO!" Liam shouted, fighting to get away. Tears were streaming down his face. But Isaac was relentless.

"And he told Melissa that her son, her only family, the only person she has left, the one person on this planet that she loves more than anyone or anything else, was _dead._ "

Liam thrashed weakly, sobbing.

"Melissa went to the library as fast as she could and found Mason sitting beside the dead body of her son. She started CPR, trying to bring him back."

"No, no, no," Liam chanted faintly.

" _Yes,_ she did. She tried and she tried, and she couldn't wake him up."

" _NO!_ " Liam screamed. "He's not dead! He—he can't be dead! Hepromisedme!"

Isaac let him weep for a while, knowing that while this was harsh, it would get the lesson through Liam's head: the pack is irreplaceable. They are as close to you as your family, closer in some cases. No matter what, you never abandon pack. That's just how it works. And this was a cruel wake-up call for the kid, but at least he'd understand.

Finally, Isaac let go of the kid's arms and gently lifted his face. "And if Melissa hadn't been able to bring him back," he said softly, "I would have hunted you down and killed you for the part you played in it."

Liam trembled. "I-Is that w-why you're here?" he sniffed. "To kill me?"

Isaac gripped Liam's shoulders and shook him lightly. " _If Melissa hadn't been able to bring him back,"_ he repeated, enunciating each word.

Liam looked up at him, desperate hope burning in his eyes. "Is he—"

"Scott's alive," Isaac said, and Liam broke down again, this time in relief. Isaac hauled the kid into his arms and just held him. The pup _clung_ to him, shaking with the force of his sobs. Isaac rumbled low in his chest, just like Derek used to do for him. He ran a hand through Liam's hair. The pup whined, and Isaac growled softly, telling the younger boy's wolf that he was safe, and he wasn't alone. The boy curled into an even smaller ball, which Isaac found impressive.

Finally, the kid stopped shaking, but he made no move to get out of Isaac's hold, so the older wolf didn't let go. "Why did you do that?" Liam whimpered.

Isaac sighed. "Because you needed to understand. Pack is irreplaceable. We look out for each other. You didn't look out for your Alpha, and he died as a result. Melissa saved him, but we can't always save everyone." Isaac's voice broke.

Liam let out another sob. "I know that!" he snapped. But one hand tightened in Isaac's hoodie, belying his angry tone.

"I know," Isaac whispered, tightening his hold. "I know. And I am so sorry. You should never have had to go through that so young."

"You do realize you're only three years older than me," Liam muttered.

A tiny smile lit Isaac's face. "Not in dog years. If you count those, I'm 28 years older than you."

Liam laughed. It was a little watery, but it was a laugh, so Isaac counted it as a win. Liam sniffed and rested his head on Isaac's shoulder. "I don't know why I'm acting like this," he muttered.

"I do," Isaac ran his hand through Liam's hair again. "It's because you're young. You're just a pup. And you're unbelievably upset by a number of things. It's your wolf's nature to seek comfort from an older member of the pack. Normally, the instinct would have been to seek out Scott, but I was already here."

"So I act like a love-starved puppy with no control over my emotions?"

"Basically, yes. But don't worry. It'll wear off in about fifteen minutes, and then I'm dragging you to Scott."

A sharp whine burst from Liam's throat, and a shudder wracked his frame.

Isaac growled low in his chest again, and Liam relaxed.

"He's already forgiven you," Isaac murmured, smelling the other's fear. "He didn't hold it against you in the first place. He was thinking the same thing, you just vocalized it."

"But I was wrong," Liam whispered. "It wasn't his fault."

"No, it wasn't," Isaac said. "If he'd given her the Bite, it would have killed her. And I can tell you from personal experience, it was far more merciful to let her die this way. The Bite would have drawn it out until she was begging you to let her die. This was better."

"How do you know that?" Liam sniffed.

"Because I've seen it happen," Isaac answered. "Once in person—but that doesn't really count, because we did that on purpose and he deserved it—and once in my first Alpha's memories."

"You mean Derek Hale, right?" Liam asked.

"Yeah," Isaac sighed. "Wonder how he's doing."

"Last I heard, he and Braeden were traveling together with Chris Argent, trying to hunt down Kate," Liam offered.

"Braeden?" Isaac laughed. "Good. He needs somebody who'll tell him when he's being a hard-headed idiot."

Liam snorted. "I can picture it now," he said. "Derek gets all mad, eyes and fangs and claws, and Braeden's just standing there, looking completely unimpressed."

Isaac snickered. "Oh, yeah. And Derek always gets this tick in his right eyebrow when he's mad. It's hilarious."

Liam grinned, then bit his lip. "You were _his_ first Beta too, weren't you?"

Isaac's smile faded. "Yeah. Yeah, I was."

"Do you ever…" Liam trailed off.

"Regret my choice?" Isaac finished quietly.

"Yeah."

Isaac thought for a long minute. "No," he said finally. "I don't think I do. Sure, there are times that I think it might have been better for everyone else if I'd said no, but I can't honestly say that _I_ wish I hadn't accepted. It changed my life. Definitely for the better. And yeah, we lost friends. Good friends." His voice cracked a little, and Liam curled closer. "But we made new ones. We never forgot the ones we lost, and I don't think we ever will, but we don't let the losses keep us from living. They're dead, but we're still alive. They gave their lives for us, and I for one refuse to dishonor them by throwing my life away when they died to save it."

Liam was silent for a long moment. "Thank you," he said finally.

Isaac smiled sadly, even though Liam couldn't see it. "You're welcome, pup," he said.

Liam mock-growled at him. Isaac laughed softly.

"Alright, time to go find Scott," Isaac said. He started to pull himself upright when Liam whimpered and curled closer, shaking. Isaac growled low in his chest, and Liam relaxed.

"How are you doing that?" Liam asked.

"Derek used to do it for me when I had nightmares," Isaac answered. "It just lets your wolf know that you're not alone, and that you're safe."

"Oh." Liam was silent for a moment, then said, "I guess we have to go see Scott now?"

Isaac answered by rising to his feet and setting Liam down on his.

"Liam, look at me." The boy slowly raised his eyes. Isaac met them unwaveringly. "Do you trust me?"

Liam opened his mouth to answer, then looked confused. "I—actually, I do. What's with that? I barely know you."

"It's because we're pack. Also, Scott allowed me to be his Beta, and you trust Scott. Do you trust me when I say I'll look out for you?"

Liam bit his lip. "Yeah."

"Ok." Isaac gently clapped a hand to the back of his neck and started walking towards the door. He held his breath for a moment, then let it out as he heard Liam start to follow.

 _One down._

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"I can't do this," Liam started backing up. "I'm just gonna wait and talk to him tomorr—"

"Nope," Isaac planted a hand in between the younger boy's shoulders and propelled him to the front door of the McCall house. "Knock."

"Oh, no, that's ok, he's probably sleeping, I don't want to disturb him, I'll just come back later—"

Isaac rolled his eyes. While Liam babbled away, Isaac pulled out his phone and shot off a text:

 _I: outside ur house with baby wolf he's freaking out, thinks ur gonna b furious_

 _S: down in a sec_

 _I: K_

Isaac stuck the phone in his pocket and tuned back in to Liam's nervous chatter.

"…so it's really not fair to make an injured person go through all the motions of getting up and dealing with visitors, and I don't want to inconvenience him or anything, so I'll just—"

They both heard the door unlocking from the inside, and Liam turned white. He spun on one heel and bolted. He got maybe two steps before Isaac had him by the collar and was hauling him back.

The door opened, and Scott was looking at them with a raised eyebrow. "Really, Isaac?" he said, amused.

Isaac shrugged. "It works. And hey," he gestured with his free hand towards Liam. "In one piece, and un-maimed, as promised." Then he winced. "Um, might be a little emotionally traumatized, but other than that, he's great!"

Liam glared at him, momentarily forgetting his fear. "A little?!"

Isaac shrugged. "Worked, didn't it?"

Liam glared at him and muttered something under his breath.

Scott looked at him, brows furrowed in concern. "Are you alright?"

Liam's eyes widened. "Um—yeah—that is, I'm—yeah, I'm fine. Are—are you…..you know, ok?"

Scott smiled gently. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Isaac cleared his throat pointedly. Scott gave him a Look, and Isaac glared back. "Fine!" Scott said. He turned back to Liam. "I'm _going_ to be fine." He glared at Isaac. "Happy?"

"Marginally," answered the taller Beta. "I have four more Betas to find and a Chimera's throat to tear out. I'll be happy when the job's done. Speaking of which, where's your mother? I've got a contact coming through town tomorrow, and I can get her that shotgun she was asking about."

Scott's mouth dropped open. "You—you were serious about that?!"

"Yep."

"No. No way, definitely not happening. Just—no."

Isaac laughed. "I'm kidding, Scott. I would never put Melissa in danger like that unless I absolutely had to."

"No, I know that," Scott said. "I was just feeling sorry for Theo. No one deserves to have my mother mad at them."

Isaac cringed in memory. "Yeah, the wrath of the Mother McCall," he said. "Not forgetting that anytime soon."

Liam glanced between them, amused. "You guys are scared of Mrs. McCall?" he asked.

"Dude," Isaac stared at him. "Have you _seen_ the woman when she's angry? It's _terrifying."_

Liam blinked. "I will take your word for it."

Scott shifted his weight like he was going to come outside, and Liam looked at his watch. "Oh, wow, it's late. Um, I better be getting home, my dad will be looking for me. See you guys—ack!"

He tried to walk off, but Isaac still had a hold on his collar, so he just kind of strangled himself. Scott laughed softly. "Liam. Come here." He said.

Liam swallowed hard. "Scott, I just—"his bright eyes filled with tears, and his shoulders started shaking slightly. "I'm sorry," he whimpered. "I never meant—"he looked up, desperate for Scott to believe him. "I never meant to let you down, I swear I didn't! I'm so sorry, Scott. I—I'll understand if you d-don't want me anymore, and—and—"

Scott lunged forward, capturing the pup in his arms. "Hey, it's alright," he murmured. "I forgive you, Liam. It's alright. I'm alive. It's not your fault. I'm right here."

Isaac's lips tugged up at the sight. He caught Scott's eye.

"What did you _do_ to him?" Scott asked. "He's shaking like a leaf."

Isaac's smile turned apologetic. "I told him that Theo killed you."

Scott gave him a look that said, _there's obviously more, and you're not leaving until you tell me._

Isaac's grin turned downright sheepish. "I may or may not have waited about five minutes before I told him you were alive."

Scott rolled his eyes. "You are a horrible person," he informed his first Beta, but his eyes were sparkling. He glanced down at Liam again, who was showing no sign of letting go anytime soon, and he laughed quietly. "One down," he said softly, glancing back up at Isaac.

"Four to go," the taller Beta finished. "The hunt is on."

Scott nodded. "Bring them home," he said, and Isaac couldn't breathe for a second because Scott had just placed his pack in Isaac's hands. The display of trust was staggering, but at the same time, Isaac knew he wouldn't fail.

" _You are unswervingly loyal….You inspire loyalty in others. It's not a conscious effort, it just happens."_

' _Ok, Deaton,'_ Isaac thought as he started running towards the Tate house on the edge of the woods. _'Let's see if you're right'_

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He could smell Braeden's bike fuel from half a mile away. He rolled his eyes. And they thought they were being discreet.

"Give me a break," he muttered. He didn't bother being quiet or hiding his scent—if he acted like an enemy, Malia would treat him like one. He just hopped up on the porch and banged on the door. There was dead silence from inside, but he could hear two heartbeats.

"Braeden!" he shouted. "I don't have time for this. It's Isaac! Let me in!"

"Isaac?" he could hear the surprise in Braeden's voice. "I thought you were—"

"In France, yes," he rolled his eyes again, thinking that if his day kept going like this, his eyes were going to get permanently stuck somewhere in the back of his head. "I was. But I'm back, and I need to talk to Malia, and—"he broke off, staring at the floorboards in front of him with disbelief. "Mountain ash? Really? You think _mountain ash_ is going to keep Corinne away from her target? Are you nuts?"

"How do you know her?!" demanded Malia from farther back in the house than the mercenary.

"I worked with her a couple times in Europe. But that's not the point. The point is—"he stopped again and glared at the door. "You know, this conversation would be a lot easier if you'd just let me in the house already."

Braeden laughed, and he heard a shotgun being unloaded inside. A moment later, the door swung open, and the dark-eyed mercenary pulled him down for a hug.

"How are you, Isaac?" she asked. She held him at arm's length and looked him up and down. "You're looking good, kiddo."

He couldn't help it—he smiled. "I'm good, Braeden. It's—"he hesitated a second, then said, very softly, "It's good to be home."

Braeden's smile widened. "Yes, it is," she said. She turned and led the way back into the house, breaking the ash line so he could get past it. "I'm trying to convince Derek to come back, but he's absolutely set on catching Kate."

"A Nagual jaguar," Isaac shuddered. "Yeah, I don't blame him. Those things are _nasty._ "

Malia stepped out of the kitchen and glared. "And how would you know that?" she demanded. "You weren't here when we tangled with her and her Berserkers. Because you were running away with your tail between your legs like a _coward,_ too scared to face reality. You abandoned your pack."

Braeden's eyes flashed, but before she could say anything, Isaac held up a hand, not breaking eye contact with Malia. "Yes, I did," he said calmly. Braeden shot him a look, but he wasn't done yet. "I ran all the way across the ocean," he said. "But at least I turned around and ran back when I heard my Alpha call." He let the metallic gold shimmer in his eyes, not taking over, just enough to remind Malia who was the superior predator here.

"What do you mean?" she snapped. She lowered her head slightly.

Isaac saw it, and knew that she'd gotten the memo. "Oh, you know, when Theo killed Scott," he said casually.

" _What?!I"_ Braeden and Malia shouted together.

"When did this happen—"

"What are you talking about—"

"You're kidding, right—"

"Scott's a True Alpha, that's ridiculous—"

"Are you serious—"

Isaac growled, shutting them both up.

"Yes, I'm serious," he snapped. "Melissa brought him back, _barely._ But when she did, Scott roared. He called his pack, _all_ of us. And tell me, _Malia._ " He turned to face her, and she swallowed hard. "Could you explain to little old cowardly me why it is that I was the _only one to answer him?!"_

"I didn't—It's not—I couldn't—"she stammered.

"It's very simple," Isaac said. "You answer, or you don't. I heard him from another _continent,_ Malia. I _know_ you heard him here. Didn't you?"

"Yes," she whispered, shame-faced.

Braeden stared at her incredulously. "You heard your Alpha call you, and you ignored him?!"

Malia glared at her. "I was busy."

"Doing what?" Isaac snarled. "Hiding from Corinne? Face it, Malia, if Corinne wants you dead, you're going to die. No matter where you go or what you hide behind, she will find you. Also, this full moon thing is a bunch of crap."

"What?" Malia shouted. "But Deaton—"

"Saved your life," Braeden interrupted. "And mine." She looked at Isaac. "What do you mean?"

"She doesn't have to wait for a full moon to drain you of your power," Isaac explained. "She could do that whenever she wanted to. She's letting you live for some other reason. But I don't really care about that right now. I want to know why you didn't answer Scott."

"I didn't think he was calling me," she said. Even Braeden could tell that was a lie.

Isaac took a deep breath, trying to control his temper. "He was calling _all_ of us because he was alone, in pain, and dying. Why didn't you answer him?"

Malia's eyes burned blue as she spun around and shouted "Because he was already dead! There was absolutely _nothing_ I could do to save him, no way that I could get there fast enough, so I didn't even bother. Why would I? If it can kill the Alpha of a wolf pack, it can _definitely_ kill a lone coyote."

"You, Malia Hale, are one of the eight Betas of True Alpha Scott McCall," Isaac said firmly. He locked eyes with her and refused to let her look away. "Of the eight, only two are actually wolves. We also have a Coyote, a Banshee, a Fox, a Hellhound, and a human. Two, if you count Mason. You are absolutely a part of our pack. You are not a lone coyote. Corinne is. She has been for a very, very long time. That's one of the reasons she wants you dead."

"She's _jealous_?" Malia's jaw dropped. "You're kidding, right?"

"No," Isaac said. "She's lonely. But she refuses to let anyone into her life. Kinda like what you're doing here."

"What? I have Braeden," Malia blustered.

"And is Braeden a part of the pack?" Isaac asked. He shot a glance at Braeden. "Actually, now that I think about it—"

Braeden snorted. "No, I'm not," she said. "Derek and I are both kind of Omegas. We're just running together for a little while."

Malia glared at him. "That's not the same. I'm protecting my pack from—"

"What?" Isaac demanded. "What are you protecting them from? The truth about who you really are? Where you came from? Malia, nobody cares who your parents were! We care about _you_ , whether or not _you're_ safe."

"My mom is a murderer, and my dad has tried to kill all of you at least once," she argued.

"My mom was a deadbeat who abandoned me," Isaac responded. "My dad was a psycho that chained me in a freezer in the basement when he was mad at me."

Malia's mouth dropped open again while Braeden made a sound that sounded distinctly wolf-like.

Isaac smiled sadly. "Obviously, my folks weren't the best either. But that doesn't matter. We get a new family with the pack, but that means we have to let them help us. We can't go it alone anymore. I know you're used to just relying on yourself, but you have to trust us, Malia. That's how a pack works. I know it's hard, and it's kind of terrifying. But I promise that it's worth it."

"I think I need to talk to Scott," Malia murmured after a long moment of silence.

Braeden grinned. "I think that's a good idea," she said. She frowned then, and looked at Isaac. "What about Corinne?"

Isaac smirked. "I know a guy." He glanced over at Malia. "He's at his house. He's waiting for you."

Malia's breath caught. "Really?"

"Yeah," Isaac nodded. "He's waiting for all of you."

"Well," Malia tucked her hair behind her ears. "I've been told it's rude to make people wait."

And with that, she was off.

Braeden clapped him on the shoulder. "Good job," she said. "I'll tell Derek you said hey. I'll also tell him that you look healthy, that you've been sleeping and eating regularly, and that you're as mentally sound as anyone can expect." She smirked. "He's still just one big mother hen."

Isaac laughed. "Tell him that I miss him," he said. "And that I hope he finds what he's looking for."

Braeden nodded. "I will," she promised.

Isaac hugged her. "It was good to see you, too."

She grinned and nodded. "Now scat," she said. "You've got a job, and so do I. Oh, and Isaac?"

He turned from where he was walking across the porch. "Yeah?"

"Good luck."

"You, too."

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Isaac checked his rearview mirror. He had borrowed Scott's car to get to the desert and find Kira. He'd heard of dealings with the Skinwalkers before, but they were few and far between. So far, he'd been driving for almost two hours, and he hadn't seen any sign of them—or Kira.

His eyebrows went up as he heard thunder in the distance. That sounded promising. So, naturally, that was when his cell phone rang. Not his normal phone, the one his hunting contacts called.

"Wolf," he answered without even bothering with the caller ID.

"Hello, Cub," a smooth female voice replied.

"Corinne," he sighed. "What do you want?"

"I need your help on a hunt," she answered.

"Yeah?"

"It's a were-coyote down in southern California. A town called Beacon Hills. This one's a piece of work, too. She's already killed an innocent woman and her daughter."

Isaac inhaled sharply through his teeth. Corinne always had been good at twisting the facts to suit her. "She?"

"It's a teenager," Corinne answered. "But we're going to have to watch our step. There's a wolf pack in Beacon Hills as well."

"As long as we stay out of their way, they should stay out of ours," Isaac said flippantly. "Unless they need clearing out as well?" His stomach twisted at the very thought.

"Isaac," she said seriously. "They have a True Alpha."

Isaac let out a low whistle. "I didn't think there were any of those around anymore," he breathed.

"Neither did I, but this town's got one. And from what I've heard, he's a good one."

"As in he's good at murdering, or he's a good person?"

Corinne sighed. "He protects his own, and the people of the town. As far as I can tell, no one in his pack has ever killed anyone."

"So why are we worried about him?"

"Because he's accepted the coyote into his pack," Corinne said shortly. "He's going to try and protect her."

"Ah." Isaac glanced up at the sky, seeing thunderclouds begin to roll in. "What can you tell me about her?"

"Her name is Malia Tate," was the instant response. "She murdered her mother and little sister on a full moon nearly eight years ago. I started a hunt, but she evaded me by going feral and bolting to the woods. She's been restored to her human form somehow, and I want to finish my hunt. Will you help me?"

"Well, actually, her name is Malia Hale, because I'm just going to assume you were drunk when you decided hooking up with Peter was a good idea," Isaac replied. "She lost control and almost changed on the full moon, yes, but I'm actually pretty sure _you_ caused that accident, Corinne, by shooting their car off the road. You do realize that there were innocent humans in that car, don't you?"

She growled.

"You want her dead so you can reclaim the part of your power that you gave to her," Isaac continued. "And Scott McCall's pack is shielding her because they know she's innocent. You're not an idiot, you know that Braeden's there. You're an incredible fighter, but even you can't go up against a True Alpha. Then there's his pack. Which, if I have my information straight, consists of a Banshee, a Kitsune, two werewolves, Malia herself, and a Hellhound. Plus, Chris Argent, Derek Hale, and Sherriff Stilinski are all allies of the Alpha."

"From the way you're talking," Corinne said, deadly quiet. "I'm starting to think they have an ally in the Hunting Wolf as well."

"No," Isaac corrected. "They have a _packmate_ in the Hunting Wolf. I did say that two of the Betas were wolves, didn't I?"

Corinne roared, and Isaac grinned. "Nice to meet you, Desert Wolf," he said. "My name is Isaac Lahey, senior Beta of True Alpha Scott McCall."

Corinne seethed for a minute, then let out a humorless laugh. "She stole my power, Isaac. You know how good I used to be."

Isaac sighed, and stopped trying to annoy the older 'were. "Corinne, no, I don't know how good you used to be. All I know is that you are still one of the best hunters I've ever met. Moreover, you're my friend, and I'm going to warn you now. You cannot beat us. Malia had no control over the situation. Yes, she was beginning to lose control, but you were the one who caused the accident. That woman and that little girl? Those lives are on you. Not her."

"She stole it from me," Corinne repeated. "She forced my hand."

"Corinne," Isaac banged his head on the steering wheel. "It wasn't her choice, and it wasn't her fault."

"It's not like I had her on purpose!"

"Exactly!" Isaac said. "You weren't careful. That's not her fault. Are you really going to kill a young girl— _your_ daughter—just to get a little piece of power back that you don't even need?"

The Desert Wolf was silent for a long time.

"But I don't have to ask you that, do I?" Isaac asked softly. "You've been hesitating for a while now. You're hiding behind this full moon excuse, which we both know is a bunch of baloney. The fact that you didn't even know I was in Beacon Hills is a huge tip-off that your head is _not_ in the game."

"I want my power back," Corinne said coldly. "And I'll do whatever it takes to get it."

"That's a very well thought out suicide plan," Isaac said dryly.

Corinne growled at him.

"Look, I'm not going to try to change your mind," Isaac said. "I'm just going to give you a little advice. You've fought Derek Hale before, yes?"

"What do you think?" sneered the other hunter. "Of course I have."

"Scott has twice the power Derek had when he was an Alpha. Scott's pack is also almost four times as large as Derek's was. It's variated, and they have the support of the local Sherriff, one of the deputies, a local nurse, and two local hunters. Who, not like I really need to remind you, are Chris Argent and Braeden."

Corinne was silent again, and Isaac played his final card.

"Malia is my friend," he said quietly. "I will fight for her, Cori, and I don't want to fight you. So that leaves you against at least thirteen people, six of which are supernatural. Don't take those odds. Scott also has my loyalty, and with me goes the loyalty of the Rousseau clan. One phone call, and Giselle and fifteen others can be on a plane in less than an hour. They can be here by tomorrow, and then it'll be you versus almost thirty people, most of whom will have guns laced with wolfsbane."

Corinne let out an exasperated huff. "Fine," she growled. "I won't take the chance. I want to live."

Isaac let out a long breath. "Thank you, Cori," he said.

"What for? I'm doing this for myself." And then she hung up.

"Of course you are," he muttered. He threw the phone into the passenger seat and stepped on the gas. Lightening was beginning to flash in the clouds up ahead, and that was never a good sign.

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He had to get out of the car pretty soon after that. The sandstorm was still getting larger, and it was impossible to see out of the windshield, even for him.

"The things I do for these people," he muttered with no real heat as he trudged through the wind. He could still hear the thunder, and a roaring sound that he knew was Kira—or rather, the Kitsune. He wasn't sure Kira was in control anymore.

"Oh boy," he winced. This was _not_ going to be fun. He stared into the storm, shielding his eyes with one hand. He couldn't see anything, and the swirling sand made it impossible to catch even his own scent, much less Kira's. He would have to rely on his hearing, which the howling wind was not making easy. Grumbling curses under his breath, he started jogging into the darkest, fiercest part of the storm.

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Twenty minutes later, he came back down the hill, dragging Kira behind him, both of them moving at a full-out sprint. The Skinwalkers were _not_ happy about being tricked, but Isaac knew that if Kira stayed, she would never return. And that wasn't really an option right now.

He leaped off a ledge on the hillside and fell the last fifteen feet or so. Kira yelped in surprise, but she landed the jump right beside him.

"Go, go, go!" Isaac yelled, shoving her forward.

They made it to the car, which he had thankfully left unlocked. They threw themselves into the seats. Isaac already had the car started and the tires were spinning before he even got his door shut. They floored it, racing across the desert

as the Skinwalkers' storm screamed in fury behind them.

They were quiet for a bit, both of them catching their breath. Then Isaac started laughing. After a second, Kira joined in.

"Wow," she said. "That was invigorating."

Isaac bit his lip to calm down. "That's one way to put it." He grinned, shaking his head. "I'd forgotten how much fun it is to be running for my life from supernatural creatures that are even meaner than I am."

Kira groaned. "Welcome to my world," she said. "At least you actually have some semblance of control. I have no idea what to do with the Fox. It's started to take over whenever I use my sword. And if you'll remember, that's kind of the only thing I'm good at."

"I seem to remember you saving the lives of countless patients, doctors and nurses and Beacon General when the Nogitsune cut the power line," Isaac answered.

"Oh," Kira blinked. "I'd forgotten that."

Isaac laughed softly. "Control isn't easy, Kira, and it isn't something that comes automatically. It takes longer for some than it does for others. It took me two full moons and seeing my Alpha's life in danger. The other two Betas in our pack at that point—Erica Reyes and Vernon Boyd—it took them almost three months to get it. You're a little different, obviously, but I'm guessing the concept is still the same."

Kira sighed. "I want to help Scott," she said softly. "I really, really do. I'm just kind of afraid that I'll kill the people I'm trying to protect."

Isaac smiled at her. "I used to have that same problem. When I got into fights, I felt so powerful and unstoppable, like I could take on anyone or anything and _win_. It didn't matter who was standing in front of me—I'd just go for it. I could control myself on the full moons, but regular, every day school stuff? I almost shifted so many times, it's not even funny. Derek actually had to come get me one day, because I started wolfing out halfway through chemistry. Harris was being a demon, and Stiles saw my eyes start glowing. He called Derek, and I spent the rest of the day running laps through the old subway tunnels. And I do mean the rest of the day—from 1:30 to almost 9."

Kira winced. "Woah, that's harsh."

Isaac shrugged. "Eh, wasn't that bad. My point is, it takes a while to understand your other half. I mean, obviously you're still you, but the Fox is a sentient being in your mind. You share your body. You have to learn to work together. You don't chain the Fox, and the Fox doesn't overpower you. It's a balance."

Kira stared at him, eyes wide. "Wow," she said. "That….made more sense than anything anyone has told me so far."

Isaac laughed. "I'm a very simple person," he said. "I don't do long, complicated explanations. That's Lydia's thing. And sometimes Stiles."

Kira grinned. "Yeah, I've noticed that. And when they get Parrish into it? It's like a completely different language!"

"I can imagine," Isaac cringed, then sighed. "Melissa kind of summarized the last few adventures, but she didn't really explain where the dead pool came from." He glanced at the Kitsune. "Do you know?"

Kira sighed. "It's kind of a long story, but the gist of it is—"she took a deep breath, "Lydia's grandmother was also a Banshee. She found another one, a young girl named Meredith Walker. Through a slightly creepy and kind of terrifying series of events, she accidentally drove Meredith insane. Meredith was in the hospital for a long time, unresponsive. She was put in a room that already had another coma patient—Peter Hale."

"What!" Isaac spun around and stared at her in disbelief. "Are you serious?!"

"Yeah, it's kind of—eyes on the road!" she screeched.

"Woops," he quickly swerved back. "My bad. So, Peter. Again. Geez…"

"Anyway," Kira continued. "Peter's mind was still cognizant. He had actually lost his mind. He was ranting and raving about how he was going to use a dead pool to destroy the entire supernatural world in Beacon Hills and rebuild it in his own way."

"That's not terrifying at all," Isaac muttered, his hands tightening to white streaks on the steering wheel. It creaked and started bending, and he quickly loosened his hold.

"Yeah," Kira shuddered. "Peter planned to hire professional assassins, hunters, amateurs, anyone who wanted a shot at it. He was going to use the bearer bonds in the Hale vault. Oh, right, you weren't here for that. The vault is—"

"—under the sign for Beacon High," Isaac finished. He raised an eyebrow at her open mouth. "I _am_ Derek's senior Beta, you know."

Kira smacked herself on the forehead. "Right. Anyway, Meredith was in the bed next to Peter, and every thought in his head was pouring into hers. Then—"she hesitated and glanced over at him. "Sorry," she said, wincing, "But she eventually recovered enough that they could send her to Eichen House. She heard Lydia scream in—"she bit her lip. "She heard Lydia scream at Oak Creek."

Isaac felt like he'd been stabbed. "Oh," he said hollowly.

"Sorry," Kira murmured.

"No, it's ok," he said softly. "Hurts like crap, but it's ok."

"Do you want me to keep going?" she asked softly.

He shot her a quick, small smile of gratitude that instantly made her feel better. "Yeah, go ahead."

"Ok. So she heard Lydia scream, and she said later that that was when she knew it was time to start the dead pool. The dead pool was written in code that Lydia's grandmother wrote. Lydia used some of her gran's old Banshee stuff to break it. There were three cypher keys: Allison, Aiden, and Derek—and each key cracked a third of the list. That list—"she shuddered. "We were _all_ on it, Isaac. Our entire pack, Parrish, my mom, Kate Argent, even Meredith herself. Plus an entire pack of wolves that we didn't even _know_ about. Their Alpha was someone that my mom knew—an older Japanese woman named—"

"Satomi," Isaac said quietly.

Kira glared at him. "Why am I even telling you this stuff?"

Isaac grinned. "I am a hunter, Kira. I have my contacts." Then he grew serious. "There was another hit out on me," he said. "I almost got pegged by a couple of hunters on a job down in Madrid. If my partner hadn't seen them first, I wouldn't be here."

Kira inhaled sharply. "You weren't on the list here," she said, concern in her dark eyes. "If we'd known—"

"I know," Isaac grinned at her again. "It was all good, though. My boss has a lot of influence overseas, and she used every bit of it to make sure everyone knew that I was untouchable. Only one other dude tried." His grin turned feral. "Let's just say that no one else tried."

"Wow," Kira shook her head. "You should tell Scott that. He's been worried that it might have happened, and he's been beating himself up for not getting in touch with you and checking on you."

Isaac pursed his lips. "I'll tell him. He really needs to stop doing that." He shook his head. "Anyway, Meredith."

"Right," Kira nodded. "So we had to find the dead pool and shut it down, and it was just a huge mess. Peter didn't remember Meredith or the dead pool until he dragged it out of her memories. And Meredith just wanted to help. She didn't mean to hurt anyone. Eventually, we did get it shut down, and most of us survived. But Satomi's pack got decimated."

"I know," Isaac said softly. "I've been keeping in touch with Braeden."

Kira frowned and opened her mouth, then snapped it shut again.

"I know that look," Isaac sighed. "Spit it out. I've probably already heard it from Malia."

"If you knew what was going on," Kira said hesitantly, "why didn't you come back?"

Isaac sighed. "Well, my excuse to myself and everyone else was that I was taking out the overseas assassins before they got here. I also worked pretty closely with the tech department in my hunter clan, hacking into the central monitor and looping it around the US."

Kira blinked. "Huh?"

Isaac snorted. "We hacked the dead pool's signal and made sure it couldn't be sent overseas, down to Central America or to Mexico. Every time the operator tried to make the signal go past the borders of the US, it just bounced off and got sent back to the control unit. Basically, unless the assassin was in the US, they couldn't get the list or the cypher keys. Of course, we couldn't keep every copy of the list in America, but we did our best."

"Wow," Kira said. "Thanks. But you said that was your _excuse_ for staying away. What was the real reason?"

Isaac smiled wistfully. "Because coming back meant owning up to everything that happened here. I don't know what Scott and the others have told you, but I don't have an awful lot of good memories. It was just easier to run, I guess."

"Now that, I can understand," Kira said. He glanced at her, and she offered a tiny, understanding smile, and he smiled back.

"You know what?" He asked.

"What?"

"I think we are going to get along beautifully."

She grinned happily. "I think I'd like that."

He laughed, then turned on the radio. They listed to bad country songs all the way back to Beacon Hills, laughing and singing deliberately off-key.

And Isaac found himself thinking that coming back home was the best idea he'd had since he'd told Derek "yes."

By the time they pulled up to Scott's house, Kira was bouncing with excitement.

He parked and laughed at her face. He unlocked the car and gestured to the door. "Go on," he said with a grin. She pounced across the car and gave him a quick, tight hug.

"Thank you!" she said. "You really didn't have to come all the way out there to get me, but you did anyway. So, thanks."

He laughed again and hugged her back. "You're pack now," he said. "That means you're family, and there is very little I won't do for my family."

Her smile got impossibly bigger, and then she was rocketing out of the car and sprinting to the house. She was still ten feet away when Scott burst out the front door and ran to her, throwing his arms around her and swinging her around in a circle.

Isaac felt his own grin widening, and turning more genuine. Yeah, he had a good family. Even if—he cringed. Aw, come on guys, PDA.

He snickered, then wolf-whistled as loud as he could.

Scott flipped him off over Kira's shoulder, and Isaac cracked up.

Finally, they separated, and Scott smacked the back of Isaac's head, then gripped his shoulder.

"Thank you," the Alpha said, eyes shining.

Isaac ducked his head. "No problem," he said softly.

"Come on," Scott said, pulling Kira under his other arm and towing Isaac along using the grip on his shoulder.

Isaac shook his head. "Can't," he said. "I've got two more Betas to find."

Scott frowned. "You don't have to," he said. "You've already gotten three of them, and—"

"—and I have two more to find," the senior Beta said with a smile. "Not talking me outta this one, Scott." He dodged his Alpha's playful swat and jogged back to the car. "By the way," he called back, "I conveniently forgot to tell Kira why I'm back. You might wanna mention that."

Isaac dove into the car and floored it, leaving Scott yelling and laughing behind him. Isaac grinned and shook his head. Yeah, he had a good family.

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He easily snuck past the receptionist. He knew visiting hours were over, so he just tracked Lydia by smell. He knew that Theo had done something to the Banshee's mind, but he also knew that he could fix it—by doing the same thing. He hadn't told Scott, because he knew that wasn't going to fly, but he also knew he could do it because he'd done it before.

He'd been on a hunt with three other Rousseaus, and they'd cornered the Beta they were after in a little under three days. But the blasted thing had gone for one of his partners before he could even blink. They'd gotten the wolf, but Pierre already had four gouges in the back of his neck. He was practically catatonic—just like Lydia. Isaac had managed to let Pierre out of his own mind. It had been tricky, but he'd done it.

He didn't think it would be that hard with Lydia, mainly because the Banshee was _very_ powerful, and she would already be trying to free herself. With him working from the outside and her from the inside, it wouldn't take long at all.

But first, he needed to talk to Melissa. If he was interrupted, he could fry his own brain and Lydia's. Which would be really, really, bad.

He found her on the third floor, just eight doors down from Lydia.

"Melissa," he murmured.

She jumped half a foot in the air, then pivoted on one foot, clipboard cocked above her head and ready to strike. "Isaac," she whispered when she saw him. She started to lower the clipboard, then changed her mind and whacked him with it anyway. "Don't—do—that," she hissed, smacking him in between every word.

"Sorry, didn't mean to—ow!—scare you, I just—ouch!—needed to tell you something! Can you please stop that!"

She glared at him, but lowered her impromptu weapon. "What is it?" Her eyes raked over him. "No blood, no injuries," she looked up. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, actually," he answered. "But if you can make sure nobody goes into Lydia's room, I think I can snap her out of it."

Melissa's eyes widened. "How?" she demanded.

"I've done this before," he said quickly. "I was on a hunt, and a partner of mine got locked in his mind just like this because the Beta didn't know what he was doing. When he ripped the connection out, he locked Pierre's mind. I was able to go in and pull him out. I can do the same thing for Lydia. I actually think it'll be easier, because she has so much power. She'll be trying to get out herself, and with us working from both sides, it shouldn't be too difficult."

Melissa closed her eyes and exhaled in relief. "I am so glad to hear you say that," she said, "because Natalie Martin has been talking about sending her to Eichen."

Isaac's eyes widened. "No, no, no! That's a terrible idea!"

"And everyone here thinks so," Melissa agreed. "But Natalie won't listen. Lydia's being sent over tomorrow afternoon." Melissa grabbed his arm and towed him down the hall. "Since visiting hours are over, Natalie did get sent home. But she said she'd be back at eight tomorrow morning. That's in—"she glanced at her watch, "—seven hours and fifteen minutes." She pinned the wolf with a serious look. "The doctors will want to check up on Lydia before Natalie gets here. They'll be in her room by seven, so you have barely over six hours. I can guarantee that you won't be disturbed until then."

She pushed open a door on the left and pulled Isaac into the room. She walked over to Lydia, quickly checking her vitals. "She's good to go," she said. She gave Isaac a quick hug. "Please be careful and don't hurt yourself," she said.

He laughed softly. "I'll try," he promised.

Melissa sighed. "I think that's as good as I'm gonna get."

She gave him a smile and kissed his forehead before she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Isaac pulled in a deep breath and walked over to Lydia. "Ok, Lydia," he said. "I'm pretty sure you can still hear me, so I'm going to tell you what's going on because I really don't want you to accidentally kill me. I'm going to pull you out of your mind. It's kind of like looking at your memories, except I'm looking through your subconscious to find you." Her heart rate picked up a little. "Oh, good," he sighed in relief. "You can hear me. But before you freak out," he gently placed a hand over hers. "I have done this before, and yes, it worked. And that was on a normal human." Her heart rate settled back down. "Ok, here we go," he murmured. Then he wrapped his claws around the back of her neck and carefully slid them in.

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Melissa ran down the hallway. It was six forty-five, and Lydia's doctor was getting his things together to come check on her. She had to get Isaac out of the room before the man arrived.

She didn't burst into the room, no matter how much she wanted to. She carefully opened the door and slipped in, shutting it behind her. Isaac was still standing by the bed, his claws in Lydia's neck. But the Banshee was looking much better. There was more color in her face, and her eyes were closed now, like she was just asleep.

"Oh, crap," Melissa muttered. She had no idea how to break the connection without killing Lydia and leaving Isaac as a vegetable for the rest of his life.

No less than three seconds later, Isaac groaned and collapsed as Lydia shot upright, a shout of "Scott!" dying on her lips.

Thanking her lucky stars individually and by name that Lydia hadn't used her Banshee scream, Melissa bolted over to her.

"Oh, thank God you're awake!" she hugged the hyperventilating girl tightly. "Calm down, Lydia. Scott is alright. He's alive and at our house. Isaac pulled you out of your mind, and he's—well, he's a puddle on the floor right now, but he's going to be fine. I need you to calm down."

"Okay, okay, okay," Lydia gasped. She sucked in several deep breaths, and wrapped her arms around Melissa. "Okay, I'm good," she said.

Melissa hung on a split second longer, then ran a hand through Lydia's hair and let her go. "It is so good to see you awake," she said, smiling warmly.

Across the room, Isaac groaned as he sagged into a chair. "I think you melted my brain," he complained.

Lydia sniffed primly. "I'm not the one who told the Banshee to scream and then didn't get out of the way."

Isaac groaned and let his head fall back. "Yeah, I missed you too, Lyd."

The beautiful girl laughed. "It's good to see you again, Isaac."

The wolf raised his head a little and sent her a small, happy smile, and her own widened. "After all," she said. "Without you around, there's no one to be the obnoxious little brother I never wanted and somehow got stuck with anyway."

That startled a laugh out of the boy, and his smile turned into a grin. "Gee, thanks," he deadpanned, even though his eyes were sparkling. "I feel so loved."

Melissa laughed. "Ok, guys," she said. "Lydia's doctor is going to be in here in about ten minutes, so Isaac, you need to go. Lydia, when he comes in, act like you've just woken up from a long night's sleep. Alright?"

The Banshee nodded, and the wolf strode to the door. "I'm really glad you're ok," he said softly.

Lydia smiled at him again. "Thank you," she said.

He blushed and ducked his head. "You're pack," he said. "You're a part of my family now."

Lydia's already bright smile turned blinding. Melissa hugged the girl one more time, then helped her get situated under the blankets. Then she smiled at her one last time, and jogged down the hall to catch up with Isaac. She wrapped an arm around his waist, because to anyone else he might look fine, but she knew this kid as well as she knew Scott, and Isaac was about to fall over.

"Go sit in the waiting room," she said. "My shift ends in about five minutes, and I'll drive us home."

"You don't have to—"Isaac interrupted himself with a huge yawn. He blushed, and Melissa shook her head at him.

"Scat," she said, swatting his shoulder gently. "I'll be there in just a minute."

"Ok," he said. "Thank you, Melissa."

She shook her head at him again and headed to the desk to clock out.

When she got back to the waiting room, she found Isaac curled up in an impossibly tiny ball on one of the chairs. She took a picture on her phone, and emailed it to her laptop. That was so her new wallpaper. Then she went over and coaxed him to his feet and out to the car. He was asleep again before they left the parking lot.

She called Scott when they were five minutes out from the house.

"Yeah, Mom?" He answered. Melissa could hear talking and laughter in the background, and Scott sounded happier than he'd been in months.

"Who all's there now?" she asked.

"Liam, Malia, Kira, Mason, and Stiles," he answered.

Melissa's mouth dropped open. "What?!" she almost shouted before she remembered that Isaac was still asleep. "I thought Kira was in the desert?!"

"She was," Scott said. "Isaac brought her back."

"And I thought Malia was getting ready for the Desert Wolf?"

"Isaac called some people and got it taken care of," Scott said, and Melissa could hear his smile.

She laughed in disbelief. "And Liam? Wait, let me guess. Isaac?"

Scott laughed. "Yeah," he said. "He brought them all back, Mom."

"He fixed Lydia, too," Melissa said. "He pulled her out of her mind."

"What?" Scott half-yelled.

"Yeah," Melissa nodded. "He said he'd had to do it before, to a partner on a hunt. But it worked. She's awake, and she'll probably be discharged by tomorrow."

"Wow," Scott said.

"Yeah," Melissa answered.

"Where is he now?"

"Completely out of it in the passenger seat," Melissa answered, amusement clear in her voice. "I don't want to wake him up, so can you get him to bed when we get there? We're about five minutes out."

"Absolutely," Scott said. "See you in a bit."

"Bye," she hung up and dropped the phone on the dashboard. She turned and looked at the Beta next to her. "You are something else, kid," she said.

When Scott carried Isaac into the house, still asleep, Liam shot to his feet with _fear_ blazing in his eyes.

"Is he ok?!" he started to yell, only to have Malia bolt up and slap a hand across his mouth. Her own eyes, however, locked onto her Alpha with the same fear.

Scott laughed quietly. "Yeah," he said. "He's fine. He's just completely worn himself out. He healed Lydia."

There were various quiet explosions all over the room at that one. "Hang on a minute," Scott interrupted. He carried Isaac up the stairs, and Melissa jogged ahead to open the door to his room. The walls were a beautiful forest green, and the sheets on the bed were a bright viridian. For all his denying it, Isaac truly was an incredible artist, and the entire ceiling had been painted to look like the night sky. The moon was in a beautiful crescent, because "Too many bad things have happened on full moons," he'd said. "There was a crescent moon the night Derek gave me a new family." And that was that.

Scott had asked him to do the same thing on his ceiling, and Isaac had painted a specific constellation: the Archer. Scott had _loved_ it. After Allison died, Isaac had asked him if he wanted it removed. Scott had pulled him into a hug and said that he didn't. But one day while Scott was at work, Isaac had snuck into his room and added a wolf with red eyes standing beside the Archer. He adjusted the image so one of her hands was resting on the wolf's head, the other holding her bow. The beautiful image had made Scott cry, and Isaac had started to freak out before Scott literally broke his ribs with his hug and said thank you so many times, Isaac lost count.

On Melissa's ceiling, there was a young man sitting on the ground with a wolf on either side of him. The wolves were curled around the boy, obviously protecting him. The boy's hands were propped on his knees, and there was a tiny smile on his face. The three represented Stiles, Scott, and Isaac. At first, Isaac hadn't included himself in the initial sketch, but Melissa told him that if all three of her sons weren't in it, she was going to cry. Twenty minutes later, Isaac was in the sketch.

On the other side of Isaac's room, there were bookshelves lining two of the walls, filled to bursting with books and notebooks. The fourth wall held a desk that Melissa had bought for him. He'd protested, but Melissa had glared at him, and now he had a desk. The left half of it was full of sketchbooks and drawing pencils. The right side had paints, brushes, and canvases.

They put him in the bed, and Melissa tugged off his jacket and boots. Scott stuck them in the closet while Melissa ran a hand through Isaac's curls. She planted a gentle kiss on his forehead, and whispered, "Love you, kiddo."

She turned and wrapped her arm around Scott. They walked to the door and were just about to leave when Isaac muttered something that had Melissa's smile threatening to break her face in half: "L've you too, Mom."

She walked right back and kissed his forehead again, then marched back to Scott with shining eyes. Scott's grin was almost as big as hers. "'Night, little brother," he said quietly.

There was a garbled, "N't, bi' b'ro'er," from the lump on the bed, and Scott laughed.

He closed the door and sighed, looking at his mom with a look on his face that could only be described as _content._ "It's really good to have him back," he said.

"Yes it is," Melissa kissed Scott on the forehead. "I'm sleepwalking at this point, so I'm going to bed. Please don't wake me up until five o'clock tomorrow."

Scott laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said. "G'night, Mom."

Melissa walked to her room and pulled on a t-shirt and a pair of yoga pants. She face planted on her bed and rolled under the covers. She stared at the painting on the ceiling and realized she still had that huge grin on her face.

' _He called me Mom,'_ she thought, and her grin got even wider.

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More than ¾ of the way asleep, Isaac frowned a little bit. Did he just call Melissa 'Mom'? He thought about it for a while, deciding that he had. He thought about it for a bit longer, then decided that it fit. And from her reaction, she was anything but offended.

He'd called Scott 'Brother'. He decided that fit, too. But Scott had called him brother first.

Isaac realized he was grinning like an idiot, and really just didn't care. Because, yeah. He had a really amazing family.

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Isaac dragged himself out of bed around 12:15 and sleepwalked down the stairs. He was still in his jeans and long-sleeved T-shirt from yesterday, and he knew his hair was standing straight up. He stumbled into the kitchen. Scott was in there, getting a glass of water.

"Morning, Isaac," Scott said cheerfully.

Isaac groaned in response, and Scott laughed. He grabbed the cup of coffee that he'd made when he heard Isaac start to wake up, and handed it to the Beta.

Isaac thumped down onto a stool and inhaled it. "Thanks," he said, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Where's Mom?"

Scott's grin got so big, Isaac was half afraid he'd break his face. "She's still out," Scott said. "You guys didn't get in until almost 7:30, so we decided to just let you sleep."

"Oh, ok. Wait, who's we?"

Scott stared at him for a minute, then laughed and shook his head. "I'd forgotten how groggy you are right after you wake up," the Alpha said. ""We" is the rest of the pack, minus the Sherriff, Lydia, and Parrish."

"Crap!" Isaac's eyes widened. "That's who I forgot! The deputy!"

"Isaac, it's ok," Scott said quickly. "You were practically unconscious when you got back. How long has it been since you slept?"

"Um, as in napping, or as in slept through the whole night?" Isaac evaded.

Scott gave him a Look. "Isaac."

Isaac winced. "A little over five days?"

" _WHAT?!"_

"I was on a hunt!" Isaac defended himself.

"That is _no_ excuse to not sleep!"

"The thing was killing people! I didn't have time!"

"And how many times did it almost kill you because you were too tired to pay attention?!"

"….."

" _Isaac."_

"Fine! Just a couple of times. But it's not a big deal!"

"I beg to differ!"

Isaac gave him the puppy dog eyes. "I just didn't want anyone else to get hurt," he said.

Scott valiantly tried to resist, but Isaac widened his eyes ever so slightly, and let them start shining, and Scott was a goner.

The Alpha groaned. "Those things should be illegal," he grumbled. But then he grinned showing Isaac that he really wasn't mad.

Isaac shrugged. "Sorry, not sorry," he said with a grin.

Scott shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Feed me?" Isaac suggested hopefully.

There was sudden laughter from behind him, and he turned to see Malia, Liam, Kira, Mason, and Stiles in the doorway.

"Seriously, Scott?" Stiles said, smirking. "You fell for the puppy eyes again?"

"Hey, he's been gone awhile," Scott defended. "It's going to take some time to build my resistance back up."

"Scott, I hate to tell you this," Isaac said, mock sympathetically, "but you never had any resistance to begin with."

Scott sighed. "They're ganging up on me," he said, sending Kira a pouty look.

She laughed. "Sorry, Scott, but they're right. One look and you were gone."

Scott's eyes widened, and he stared at her with one hand clasped over his heart. "Et tu, Brute?" he said dramatically.

Isaac and Stiles cracked up, and Kira smacked both of them over the head.

Scott stuck his tongue out at the two of them, then pulled open the fridge. "Vegetable soup good with you, 'Zac?" he asked.

"Not if you're cooking," was the blunt response.

Scott cringed and let go of the door handle like it had burned him. "Yeah, that's probably not a good idea."

Isaac snickered and pushed himself up. "I'll do it," he said. "If we have cornmeal, I can do cornbread, too."

"Yes, please," Stiles said instantly. The other three Betas gave him weird looks, and he said, "Guys, Isaac makes the best food I have ever had the pleasure of consuming. Seriously. The only person who can at least tie with him is Melissa."

Isaac blushed. "It's just food," he muttered, embarrassed.

"Really, really good food," Stiles corrected.

"Ho-kay," Scott interrupted. "Mason, Liam, will you set the table? Isaac can tell you where to find stuff. Stiles, will you help with the soup? And Malia, didn't you say you were having trouble with yesterday's math? I'm no Lydia, but I do have her notes. Kira, do you think you could help? Between the three of us, we should be able to at least not fail. Sound good?"

There were various sounds of agreement around the room, and Scott nodded. "Give us a yell when you're done, Isaac."

"Ok."

Stiles and Isaac didn't really talk a whole lot while they worked, but that was ok. They had a quiet companionship. They'd butted heads quite a bit at first, when Stiles was feeling threatened by Isaac, and Isaac was just used to fighting for everything he had. But after the whole Alpha Pack debacle, something had shifted. Stiles acknowledged that Isaac was important to Scott, and Isaac realized he didn't have to fight for love anymore.

"Remember when I used to insult your scarves?" Stiles asked randomly.

Isaac started laughing. "Yeah," he said. "Half the time, I wore them just to annoy you."

"Well, that's rude and unnecessary."

Isaac snorted. "Have you met me? I'm like, 40% rude and 60% sarcasm."

"Yeah," Liam called from the dining room. "He's also really good at emotionally traumatizing teenagers!"

"Oh, shut up!" Isaac yelled back cheerfully. "It worked!"

"That doesn't mean it was fun!"

"I never said it was fun, I just said it worked!"

Mason walked into the kitchen, snickering. "Wow," he said. He looked at Stiles. "Are they always like this?"

"Pretty much," Stiles said, but his grin belied his exasperated tone.

Isaac rolled his eyes. "You're the worst one, and you know it," he said.

Mason laughed out loud and held a hand out to Isaac. "I'm Mason," he said. "I saw you last night, but you were pretty out of it."

Isaac shook his hand. "Isaac Lahey. Yeah, Melissa almost had to carry me out of the hospital." He laughed self-consciously. "I kinda wore myself out."

Liam snorted. "You think?" He said incredulously.

Isaac shrugged. "I hadn't slept in a little over five days, and I was tired. I didn't have the energy to come up with any other ideas. And it was effective. You can't argue with that."

"Um, why hadn't you slept in over five days?" Liam asked curiously.

"I was on a hunt," Isaac answered, bending down and putting the cornbread in the oven. He set the timer, then walked into the living room and flopped on the couch. The others followed, and the youngest Beta hopped up on the other end of the sofa.

"What were you hunting?"

"A rogue Omega," Isaac answered. "He split from his pack and went on a rampage. He'd killed at least twelve people before I left. That was almost three days ago, so I don't really know if they got him or not. My boss'll call me when they get him."

"So you hunt werewolves?" Mason asked, looking confused, "even though you are one?"

"Not exactly," Isaac answered. "I hunt supernatural creatures that are attacking people. I don't just go around shooting every 'were I see."

"Oh, ok."

"So who are you working with?" Stiles asked.

"The Rousseau clan," Isaac said. "They're one of the oldest hunting families in the world. Only the Argents and the Calaveras are older."

"Gotcha." Stiles nodded, then tilted his head to one side. "Hey, I think I've heard Argent mention them before. Something about being one of the more tolerant clans?"

"Yeah," Isaac grinned. "They're amazing. You know how a lot of hunters see anything supernatural at all and blow its brains out, regardless of whether or not it was innocent?"

Stiles cringed. "Oh, yeah."

"Well, the Rousseaus don't do that. They watch for a long while, and make sure that the target is actually a threat before it's taken out. If it's innocent, like we are, they send out a message to other hunters in the area to make sure they leave it alone."

Stiles raised an eyebrow. "I can totally see why you would get along with them."

Isaac snorted. "Yeah, but the Elders almost passed out when some of the others started suggesting that I officially join the clan. It was hilarious."

"So did you?" Mason asked.

"Did I what?"

"You know, join the clan," Liam said.

"Oh." Isaac pulled his dog tags out from the collar of his shirt. "Yeah, I did."

Stiles collapsed, howling with laughter. " _Dog tags?!_ " he gasped. "That's _priceless!_ "

Isaac groaned and buried his face in a pillow. "Shut up, Stilinski."

Stiles bit his lip hard, still snickering. "I'm sorry, that's just classy."

Isaac glared at Liam as he started to grin as well. The younger Beta's eyes widened, and he quickly threw his hands up. "Hey, I haven't done anything!" he exclaimed.

Mason gave him a weird look. "Since when are you so peaceful?" he asked. "You're usually in more trouble than all the rest of us put together."

Liam grimaced. "Since Isaac emotionally traumatized me. With a friend like him, who needs enemies?"

"Oh, come on!" Isaac protested. "It was like, five minutes, if that!"

"It was still scarring!" Liam said, grinning.

"It was not that bad!"

"Yes it was!"

"Hey, at least you had somebody with you when you found out!" Isaac retorted.

Liam's grin vanished, and so did Stiles' and Mason's.

"What?" Isaac asked warily.

"You were alone?" Liam asked softly.

"Um, I was on the phone with my boss," he said. "But she was back in Paris, so pretty much, yeah."

"But that means you didn't have anyone to tell you that it wasn't true," Liam said, eyes widening with horror.

Isaac's gaze unfocused. "No, I didn't," he said softly. "It took thirteen hours to get back here. I headed straight for the hospital, because I knew that if he had died, at least one other member of the pack would be there. The plan was find out what did it and rip their throats out." He tilted his head. "Actually, that's still the plan."

"Oh, I like that plan," Liam said, eyes glowing for a split second before he reigned his anger back in.

"Yeah, I like it, too," Stiles muttered, hands tightening to fists.

Mason was still staring at Isaac. "Thirteen hours?" he repeated.

The tall Beta grimaced and nodded.

"But the pain stopped after you felt Scott die, right?" Stiles asked.

Isaac's eyes grew haunted, and he shook his head. "No," he said softly. "It didn't. It felt like there were ten pounds of wolfsbane in my lungs. I couldn't breathe right, and everything just _hurt_." He shuddered. "It was awful. And it wasn't until I got here and found Scott that I realized I was just feeling what he was feeling. Although," he tilted his head, "I did have a bit of wolfsbane in my lungs. Just not ten pounds."

"Why did you have wolfsbane in your lungs?!" Liam demanded, eyes huge.

"Was that from the assassin who found you in Europe?" Kira asked, coming down the stairs with Scott and Malia behind her.

There was a general explosion in response to that statement, and Scott ended up having to roar to get them to settle down.

"Isaac?" he growled, turning still-red eyes to his friend. "Care to share with the class?"

Isaac shrugged sheepishly. "I was only on a modified version of the dead pool," he said. "Only a few of Europe's top mercenaries got it, and only two of them found me. It wasn't a problem."

Stiles stared at him with wide eyes. "There was wolfsbane _in your lungs,_ " he stressed. "I'd say that was a minor problem."

Isaac rolled his eyes. "Seriously, it doesn't m—"

"You better not be about to finish that sentence with "matter,"", Malia said sharply.

Isaac snapped his mouth shut.

Scott stared at the floor, guilt swimming in his eyes. "I'm so s—"

"Scott," Isaac cut him off. "Even if you had tried to get ahold of me, I have a new phone and a new number. There is literally no possible way you could have gotten in touch with me, and even if you had, you couldn't have gotten to Europe in time to do anything about it. I was fine, my partner had my back, and you were busy."

Scott looked up at him, and Isaac growled at the guilt still on his face. "Blast it, McCall—"

"Ok, someone please tell me I didn't just hear "Isaac", "assassin", and "wolfsbane" in the same sentence," Melissa interrupted from the top of the stairs.

"You didn't just hear "Isaac", "assassin," and "wolfsbane" in the same sentence," Isaac said instantly.

Melissa glared at him. He swallowed hard. "I'm fine!"

"Uh-huh," Melissa, Stiles, Scott, and Kira all deadpanned in perfect unison.

Isaac threw his hands up in exasperation, choosing to ignore the snickers coming from Liam, Mason and Malia.

The timer for the cornbread went off, and Isaac rocketed into the other room. He heard the other Betas cracking up behind him, and he had to grin. It was good to be back.

A few minutes later, the food was ready, and they pulled chairs out of almost every room in the house and crammed everybody together at the table.

There was an easy air about the room, the kids talking about school, complaining about homework, and teasing each other. Melissa scolded when Liam tried to say something with his mouth full, and Scott got his hand slapped when he reached for the cornbread with his fingers instead of the spatula.

As the others chattered away, Isaac leaned back in his chair and just watched them. Malia was glaring at Stiles because he'd made a rude joke, and Stilinski was making things worse trying to pacify her. Scott and Kira were making lovey-dovey eyes at each other. Liam and Mason were squabbling over the last slice of cornbread.

Melissa was watching him with a beautiful smile on her face. Her worry lines had faded for the night, and he couldn't help but smile back at her because he was home. He was home, back in the places he knew, with the people he loved.

Isaac smiled.

Yeah, it was good to be home.

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French translations:(I used Google, so if this is wrong, please let me know!)

 _Garcon—Boy_

 _Bete—Dimwit_

 **There we go! Season five made me cry for several reasons, and I really just needed something happy. I know having Isaac back wouldn't fix everything, but at least it's a start!**

 **So there we go! What did you think? Should I write another chapter, or let this be complete?**

 **The more reviews I get, the more stories you get!**


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